BT handed record fine for poor road repairs

BT has been handed a record breaking fine for carrying out sub-standard road repairs after relaying cables in Enfield.

The telecommunications company was fined £8,500 and ordered to pay £5,000 costs and a £60 victim surcharge after pleading guilty at Tottenham Magistrates’ Court on 17 July. The fine is the largest ever handed out to a utility company in England and Wales for carrying out second-rate repairs to roads.

The company was prosecuted by Enfield Council for three breaches of Section 71 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 after analysis of the reinstated Amersham Avenue, Edmonton, Drapers Road, Enfield, and Crown Road, Enfield, found the repairs to be sub-standard.

Enfield Council’s cabinet member for environment and community safety, Cllr Chris Bond, said: “This is a victory for motorists who have a reasonable expectations that the roads they are travelling on are well maintained and free of defects and holes.

“We want to work in partnership with the utility companies but they need to understand that they cannot just chuck rubble and sand into the holes they dig, tarmac over the top and hope no one realises the road will sink after a couple of months. We have a very robust inspection regime, we will notice defective work and we will prosecute utilities who think they can act with impunity – they can’t.

“Enfield Council spends in the region of eight million pounds a year fixing, repairing and resurfacing roads and pavements in this borough and it is incredibly frustrating when utility companies cut corners and carry out shoddy repairs because they simply can’t be bothered to do a good job.”